1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bacon slicing or to bacon slicing machines.
A bacon slicing machine cuts up the "bacon", i.e. the fat with skin, just as it comes from the pig, into sheets a few millimeters thick, called "slices" which are used for covering with a strip of fat a piece of meat, meat paste, poultry or a piece of game, for example.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Known bacon slicing machines comprise a horizontal reception plate on which is placed the bacon to be cup up, a drive cylinder disposed transversely above or below the bacon, which cylinder, preferably grooved, catches on the bacon and urges it against a cutting device acting in the horizontal plane situated above the plane of the reception plate at a distance corresponding to the desired thickness of the bacon slices.
This distance is obtained by adjusting the height of the reception plate with respect to the cutting system.
Under the cutting device is provided a horizontal or substantially horizontal shelf or receptacle which receives the bacon slices.
The cutting device is generally a circular blade having sufficient diameter for cutting the bacon slices over the whole of their width.
In some bacon slicing machines of the prior art, this cutting device is an endless blade about two meters long.
A first disadvantages of the machines of the prior art resides in the fact that the bacon slices are piled up on one another on the tray, that they stick together and catch on to each other and, considering their thinness and fragility, they are damaged and thus cause not inconsiderable losses during the operations.